It is not surprising that the newer, higher-performance computer systems, which provide larger data handling capabilities at higher speeds, require more operating power. The larger power requirements of modern computer systems can easily strain the available power in laptop, notebook, and other portable computer devices. In response, practitioners in the computer industry have developed various mechanisms aimed at efficient management of the power resources of a computer system.
While numerous advances have been made in the management of power usage by the central processing unit (CPU), relatively few system designs have addressed the problem of controlling power at the memory sub-system level of a computer. Yet, newer dynamics, random-access memories (DRAMs) have significantly higher power requirements than conventional DRAM devices (such as FPM, EDO, and SDRAM). For this reason, it has become necessary for computer chipset designs to include some mechanism for managing the power states of these newer DRAM devices.